'PC ordered lathi-charge on BJYM protestors'

August 10, 2011 16:02 IST

Anurag Thakur, chief of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has alleged that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram directed the Delhi police to lathi-charge peaceful demonstrates of his party who were proceeding to the Parliament to demand Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's resignation for her role in the Commonwealth Games scam.

"This is a pre-planned conspiracy hatched by Chidambaram who wants to quell peaceful protests. Never before have protestors been given such treatment. Over 70 demonstrators were hurt and 50 medico legal cases have been registered; some of them have grievous injuries," Thakur told rediff.com on Tuesday.

"We were protesting against corruption and now a new twist has been given. Now, we are up in arms against terror," senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani added.

The top brass of the Delhi police was summoned to the home ministry to take stock of the situation that led to violent protests by the workers of BJYM on Tuesday. Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta held a series of meeting with his top officers from the New Delhi range and has been giving updates to the home ministry on an hour-to-hour

basis.

K C Diwedi, additional commissioner of police New Delhi range, had a different story to tell. According to him, he did not order any of his officers to resort to lathi-charge. "We used water canons and tear gas shells to bring the violent demonstrators under control. The agitators had brought stones in their pockets and hurled them at the force. They threw anything that they could lay their hands on. Twenty-five policemen were injured seriously and MLCs have been registered in these cases. Even I have stone injuries on my back," he said.

According to him the entire drama was engineered. "First the boys from Gujarat mingled with the newsmen in groups of twos behind the Rail Bhavan. Slowly, their numbers increased and after 30-odd protestors gathered they started shouting slogans in front of the Parliament gate near Vijay Chowk. Suddenly 80-odd women also from Gujarat, who were attending a BJP party meeting in Vittalbhai Patel house, started marching towards Parliament," Diwedi explained.

Thakur denied that the demonstrators were carrying stones in their pockets and hurled them at the policemen on duty.